First Contact Mental Health Practitioner Durham Coast in North East

Go back Tees Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust

First Contact Mental Health Practitioner Durham Coast

The closing date is 28 September 2026

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an individual who is enthusiastic, motivated, and interested in working in primary care mental health to join our existing team. You will be part of a growing multidisciplinary service within County DurhamPrimary Care Networks. The role is fundamental to the development and leadership of innovative and integrated mental health services.

Together with Tees Esk and Wear Valleys (TEWV) NHS Foundation Trust, the PCN is working to transform local community mental health services for people withmental health problems. The PCN, alongside TEWV, consider this joint approach to be essential for the provision of high quality, sustainable care.By working co-operatively, we will be able to provide meaningful support for people with mental health difficulties in a way that meets their needs closer to their communities and their homes.

Nursing applicants should already hold NMC registration and have successfully completed their preceptorship programme.

We would welcome enthusiastic innovators with a strong desire to achieve the best possible outcomes for patients and have the motivation and flexibility to help develop the services as the team evolves to meet the needs of the population. The successful candidate will be well supported, work autonomously and have day to day responsibility for their clinics and workload. Primary Care experience is not essential; however, a good understanding of how Primary Care works would be beneficial.

This role may be eligible for sponsorship under the UK Visas & Immigration (UKVI) Skilled Worker route. However, sponsorship can only be provided where applicants meet the specific requirements, therefore, we recommend that you assess your eligibility before applying for this position. Visit https://www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa

Main duties of the job

You will develop close working relationships with all our Clinical staff, including our existing Mental Health Practitioners and become a valued member of the Primary Care Team, collaborating with other professionals both internal to and external from the PCN.

Your role will involve offering specialist mental health advice and providing expert clinical care for people with a range of mental health needs, ensuring that those with serious mental illness do not fall between gaps in services. You will improve access by being a 'first contact mental health worker', undertaking triage, assessments, brief interventions, and reviews. You will contribute networking and navigation expertise, enabling access to a range of appropriate mental health support across the community system. You will ensure that, once assessed, each person receives the best possible care in the right place at the right time by the right supporting service.

The PCNs are forward thinking, innovative and driven by a team of professionals who are focused on delivering high quality care for local people. You will be joining a diverse workforce made up of GPs, ANPs, Urgent Care Practitioners, Paramedics, Pharmacists, Nurses, Health Care Assistants, Care Coordinators, Link Workers, Well Being Coach, and Mental Health Workers.

About us

We are the Mental Health & Learning Disability NHS Trust for County Durham and Darlington, Teesside, North Yorkshire, York and Selby.

From education and prevention, to crisis and specialist care -our talented and compassionate teams work in partnership with our patients, communities and partners to help the people of our region feel safe, understood, believed in and cared for.

We nurture the recovery journey of anyone in need of our help. In Our Trust, everyone has a say in how they are supported and treated because we listen to every person in our care until they feel understood. Our patients, their families and carers work together with us towards better mental health.

We're committed to new thinking that improves the wellbeing of our region. We connect with our communities and partners to get mental health care right, in areas that really need it.

We won't rest until everyone in our region has the mental health care they need, to lead their best possible life.

Job responsibilities

This is an exciting and innovative post to support the needs of the local population living with a range of mental health difficulties. The role holder will fulfil a first contact specialist mental health role within GP Practices across the Primary Care Network (PCN), seeing patients who would otherwise have traditionally seen a GP. Within the primary care setting, the role holder will work in a collaborative and multi-agency way. This will contribute to the safe and effective day to day operation of the PCN and the efficient and timely management of clinical enquiries and decision-making.

The post will sit within the GP practices and will facilitate the interface between Primary Care and Secondary Mental Health Services to provide specialist advice and support, assessment, treatment, education and solution-focused approaches to the local Primary Care Teams, for patients and carers.

The role will offer expertise in networking and navigation to promote ease of access to a range of specialist mental health support services. This ensures that each person, once assessed, receives the best possible care in the right place and by the right supporting service.

The post holder will be an effective member of the multi-disciplinary team. They will be professionally accountable and responsible for patient care, undertaking initial assessment with signposting to appropriate services, or providing time-limited psycho-social therapeutic interventions directly, in e.g. GP surgeries, patients homes and other primary care settings. This will include providing clinical advice to GPs such as specialist opinion or prescribing support (within the parameters of the Non-medical prescribing/NMP framework).

The post-holder will manage their daily clinics and act as a specialist advisor to GPs, fulfilling a pathway management function and providing short term interventions and support, in collaboration with GPs and other practice based mental health workers.

You will support the establishment of partnerships and networks with key stakeholders across the PCN and the wider mental health care system. You will offer advice to, or obtain advice for, the Primary Care Team on appropriate interventions and on-going patient care management.

You will develop links and foster a culture of partnership between Primary Care Teams and Mental Health Services, promoting clear communication and access to specialist knowledge and advice. This will include the facilitation of joint working with PCN, Secondary Care providers, and Voluntary Care Sector to increase the range of services/interventions available to the communities served.

You will provide clinical advice, consultation, and support to other care providers within primary, secondary, voluntary and statutory services as required.

In line with the principles for community transformation, you will ensure systems/pathways are in place to enable smooth transition between primary care and secondary mental health services.

Due to the nature of the role it is essential that applicants can travel independently and have access to a suitable vehicle for business purposes. If necessary, adjustments can be considered in accordance with the Equality Act 2010.

Person Specification

Qualification

• Current professional registration with appropriate body in healthcare or social work.
• Evidence of Continuing Professional Development.
• Certificate in mentorship, teaching & assessing in clinical practice as appropriate to own profession.
• If appropriate to professional registration, recognised sign-off mentor (or equivalent) for students or must be achieved within agreed timescale
• Clinical Supervisor
• Key skills in literacy, numeracy and ITQ level 2 (or equivalent)
• Post-graduate qualification in a relevant area.

Skills

• Communicate complex and sensitive information effectively to patients, carers/families and all members of the multidisciplinary team.
• Work effectively across complex organisations, pathways and services
• Work effectively across complex organisations, pathways and services
• Provide effective clinical supervision, teaching, training and assessing in clinical practice
• Write reports
• Use multimedia materials for presentations in professional settings
• Use approved breakaway techniques (within agreed timescale)

Experience

• Significant experience working with people with mental ill health in a community setting.
• Working collaboratively with service users and their families/carers.
• Providing clinical supervision
• Mentoring students on practice placement experience
• Working in a multi-disciplinary team
• Experience and involvement with quality improvement activities
• Experience working in primary care.
• Experience working in a multiagency setting.
• Leadership or management experience.

Knowledge

• Demonstrable knowledge to post-graduate level of evidence-based practice in caring for patients in the designated field.
• Knowledge of Stepped Care model.
• Understanding of relevant legislation (e.g. Mental Health Act, Mental Capacity Act).
• Care Programme Approach and its application in practice
• Detailed understanding of Safeguarding and its application in practice
• Clinical Risk Assessment and Management and its application in practice.
• Clinical Governance and its application in practice
• Research and development methodology
• Understanding of psychological models of care and treatment
• Demonstrable knowledge and experience of delivering psychosocial interventions and approaches
• Contemporaneous knowledge of recent health and social care policy and guidance on implications for practice

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Tees Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust